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MODELMASTER UK - Order delays


Ian Abel
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49 minutes ago, Johnfromoz said:

This clown should not be trading. Simples.

 

Change the word 'clown' for the word 'man' and I would agreed.

 

If he was an employee he would be given ill health retirement.  Sympathy for his illness and relieving him of the stress.

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The guy maybe shouldn't be trading but where else can you get these products?    And what is the alternative?  Pack up and let down the customers who are awaiting supplies?  Its probably easier to carry on than sort refunds.

Lets face it its finishing items for models, not vital parts to keep your Car/ Plane /Defibrillator etc going.

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AFAIK, he tried to sell the business a few years ago but got no takers so decided to carry on. He is putting orders out as he can - I got a back order and a placed one a month or so ago but if he cannot get fresh stock from suppliers because of current times there is not much he can do about that. He does appear to be struggling but doing as best he can with what he has got, and electronic communication is not his preferred method. I know he said to me once that it could take him nearly all his working day to merely reply to emails. He is of an age where males were not taught to type as a rule and could find speed typing difficult or nigh impossible, especially with his eye problems. I am of a similar background and have never mastered the keyboard beyond one fingered stabbing, which makes communication slow and cumbersome and understand Jim's preference for aural methods, but the surge in orders thanks to the lockdown has overwhelmed him somewhat. Perhaps he should have done what High Level did and shut down for the duration because of supply problems but he felt he had to carry as best as possible. I am sure that in the fullness of time he will catch up with unfulfilled orders.

 

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On 04/06/2021 at 18:21, craigowen1976 said:

I tried a handwritten card in May, just asking whether it might be possible just to refund the order if it couldn’t be sent. Did receive an answerphone message couple weeks later whilst in work, saying they were on their way... aaaand... 3 weeks later, still nothing. 

 

@Ben Alder you make some good points but they don't explain this from @craigowen1976.  He asked for a refund  (£300) but instead was told items were on their way when they were not.

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9 hours ago, Ben Alder said:

 I am sure that in the fullness of time he will catch up with unfulfilled orders.

 

..... and be honest when he cannot supply due to stock problems; issuing refunds instead of repeatedly fobbing customers off with "It's on it's way".

 

I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for this kind of deception.

 

CJI.

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Can someone clear something up for me please?

 

A while back the Modelmaster chap said he was discontinuing N scale and model bus transfers and then a couple of months later announced he was expecting more new stock in of exactly the same ranges as he was previously said he was giving up.

 

Which was correct, if any?

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5 hours ago, John M Upton said:

Can someone clear something up for me please?

 

A while back the Modelmaster chap said he was discontinuing N scale and model bus transfers and then a couple of months later announced he was expecting more new stock in of exactly the same ranges as he was previously said he was giving up.

 

Which was correct, if any?

Modelmaster n gauge stock was transferred to the N gauge society. There apparently have been some challenges sorting it out for sale in their shop however so they are currently unavailable but hopefully this will change soon. 

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  • 1 month later...

I ordered 8 sets of 4mm GWR number plates on 4th Feb 2021 and despite phone calls, emails and promises that my order would be filled in one week or two, I have still received nothing and it is now 7th July 2021. I have, therefore, requested that the order is cancelled and a refund arranged. I am wondering how long that might take.

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Having seen the secondary effects of ModelMaster on the N Gauge Society (long story involving stock that wasn't and a lot of disappointed Society members receiving their orders with lots of items missing) I am amazed that MM is still going.

Edited by John M Upton
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I talked to him on the 14 May 2021 about my order placed 4 October 2020.  I was told there was a production delay and they would be three weeks, I pointed out they were still listed on the web site as available, just got some mumbled useless excuse.  Needless to say nothing has turned up.  Phoned again today, no answer so left a message I want a refund - not holding my breath.  The web site still lists the items as being available, what a way to run a business!

 

If there are health issues as someone has suggested then the web site should be suspended from taking orders.  There must be a law against advertising and taking payment for goods which you do not have or are unwilling or unable to supply.

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39 minutes ago, John M Upton said:

I am amazed that MM is still going.

 

Agreed

 

That is matched by my amazement that people are still placeing orders and then posting on here that they have not got them delivered.

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On 06/06/2021 at 18:30, Kris said:

Modelmaster n gauge stock was transferred to the N gauge society. There apparently have been some challenges sorting it out for sale in their shop however so they are currently unavailable but hopefully this will change soon. 

Hi Kris,

 

Close but not 100% correct.

 

Not all Modelmaster N gauge items came to the NGS - Only those that had been commissioned from Modelmaster and produced by him for the society made the transfer.

 

After the transfer from him back to the NGS - you are correct - he did say he was going to stop all N Gauge, but instead decided to introduce a totally new range of his own products in N with all new artwork.

 

The model bus stuff had been on a 'When its gone - it's gone' basis for a fair while. I understodd that he had agreed to produce some bus stuff on a commission basis but that arrangement fell through after he had done all the work - hence he decided to release it via the website.

 

Jim has not been a well man for some time, that, plus other things that have happened within his family, are the reasons that there are often delays in the supply of items purchased.

 

I'm not looking to make excuses for him, but feel he could have handled things better.

 

Phil H

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14 minutes ago, AMJ said:

Please see the UK distance selling regulations

https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses

 

If anyone you are attempting to buy from is in breach I suggest referring then to this regulation.

Will give it a try but he will probably just ignor it.  If I had paid with my credit card they would have taken the matter on but with paypal - useless.

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In the dim and distant past when I ran a mail order business any funds taken towards future items needed to be placed into a suspension account so that if an item was unavailable or a refund was asked for then the funds would be readily available.

 

Card transactions were carried out at the time of packing as card companies have a serious dislike for failure to supply goods or services.

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9 hours ago, Ben Alder said:

To add an upbeat note to all this, I ordered some transfers from his site on Saturday night and they were delivered today, Wednesday, morning.

 

I strongly suspect that if he actually does have the goods ordered in stock then service is pretty efficient; if, however, one's order is out of stock then you're in the lap of the gods.

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Ordered a couple of Sommerfeldt pantographs from him. I was not sure if they were sold in pairs. Emailed him, got a reply within 24 hours and received the parcel on the other side of the globe in 2 weeks.

 

Definitely some erratic service. I was genuinely worried as I came across this topic after I had placed the order.

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4 hours ago, TonyW said:

Will give it a try but he will probably just ignor it.  If I had paid with my credit card they would have taken the matter on but with paypal - useless.

 

You can raise a dispute with PayPal, just as you can with a credit card. In my experience it's biased in favour of the buyer and you will probably get your money back.

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39 minutes ago, TonyW said:

Outside of their scope???? claim made too late, order was placed in Oct 2020 I made the claim in May 2021

 

In which case, it can only serve as a lesson to us all that it is possible to overstretch our tolerance of poor service to the point of excess.

 

CJI.

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On 05/06/2021 at 22:32, Matt C said:

 

I have great sympathy for the Customers involved

BUT. We all get old, and some will develope illnesses that will severely inhibit thier activities while still TRYING to move on with life. He is NOT a clown, he is an elderly gentleman who has obviously suffered a debilitating illness and has had operations to try and mitigate his problems. Yes his comunication is less than stellor .......

 

Are you really defending someone who repeatedly lies in response to direct questions? Difficulty coping is one thing; deliberate misrepresentation is quite another.

 

We now have direct evidence that making allowances for Jim leads to the loss of the right to financial redress, if taken to excess.

 

There is NO excuse for what is happening at Modelmaster - the sooner the acquaintances of / apologists for Jim accept this, and use their combined influence to bring an end to this fraud, the better.

 

CJI.

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